Yesterday, the Massachusetts Legislature blocked efforts to overturn same-sex marriage rights in the Commonwealth. It was a stunning victory for decency and equality.
Democracy is never perfect. Hitler was elected, so was W. Well, the second time he might have been elected. And in our system, a minority can rule as long as it can keep other groups fighting against each other. African-Americans would never have won the civil rights battles of the last century if rights had been decided by referendum in Alabama, Mississippi, and countless other states. Someone needs to protect minorities from the mob.
There is the added problem of mixing the religious with the civic. Churches act as agents of the state when they conduct weddings, the state interferes in sacramental life when it tells churches who they can marry. The United Church of Christ has voted in support of same-sex marriage rights. Should the UCC file suits against the government until it is able to force a separation between church and state. Should a church have the right to marry anyone? What gives us the right to tell polygamists that they cannot marry according to their beliefs? (I do consider polygamy a disgusting sexist practice… I’m just asking questions here!)
We are always willing to embrace a god we have created to justify our own prejudices, our own desires, but this god is nothing more than an idol. It is only the God that calls us beyond ourselves that is worthy of our devotion.
This is a real ramble… I feel pretty powerless against the rage of the radical right, against that hate-filled mob that stood before the Statehouse yesterday. All I can do is pray, practice justice, speak my own truth. That truth is simple… God is not a god that endorses hatred. Ever.